


Surviving Another Year

by B_Dazzled



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Birthday Presents, F/M, Friendship, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-25
Updated: 2020-01-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:49:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22396597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/B_Dazzled/pseuds/B_Dazzled
Summary: A short fic I wrote for Entraptas birthday.Hope you enjoy.
Relationships: Entrapta/Hordak (She-Ra)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 88





	Surviving Another Year

The concept of a birthday was an entirely Etherian tradition. To celebrate the date of one's birth seemed... pointless. But then, Hordak was a clone. The day of his "birth", or rather, the day he came out of the tank, was unremarkable, forgettable. He came out with a purpose and that had been it.

Everything else came later. He was born to serve, to be used. One of thousands, a piece in a set. A tool.

The creatures of this miserable backwater planet were no better. Just a means to an end.

So why was he staring down at a new recorder built by his own hands? Why was he folding sheets of blueprint paper around it? Why did he carefully and methodically tie a length of cord around it, creating a vaguely bow-shaped decoration on top?

When he was done, he held it to the light, frowning at his work. She liked "cute" things. Was this cute? He had zero basis for comparison.

Imp settled at the top of his work bench, sniffing suspiciously at the package. Hordak watched him for a moment until he seemed to lose interest and scurry to sit on his shoulders instead. He was rewarded with a chin scratch.

"You are right, Imp," he murmured, setting the gift down, "but I am unsure what else she might prefer. Perhaps I should simply feign ignorance and forget this entire ridiculous idea?"

The little failed clone narrowed his eyes, frowning. His disappointment regarding the progress of his relationship with Entrapta was apparent. He had taken a liking to her, it seemed. Curious, but if Hordak was being honest, he had to admit he felt similarly.

The Princess was a comfort– not that he would ever tell her that. It was easier to maintain a professional relationship. Colleagues. Lab partners. Even friends. But nothing more intimate than that.

"Hordak! There you are!"

The voice behind him did not exactly surprise him, but it did catch him off guard somewhat. He fumbled with the gift, hiding it in a box of tools before turning to face her.

She hung from the vents above like a spider, her wild lavender hair clinging like a web. Hordak couldn't quite contain a smile.

"You are early," he observed, stepping away from his bench to look busy elsewhere, "good. There is much to do."

Out of the corner of his eye, he watched her swing by to get to work as well. It was now or never.

"Before you do that," he asked, "would you hand me my six sided hexdriver?"

He tried not to watch. He really tried, but he failed. He glanced over his shoulder, nervously waiting for her to reach into the box.

And a moment of intense panic washed through him. What if she hated it? What if it embarassed her? Worse, what if she thought him soft?

He turned around, mouth opening to stop her when she turned to face him again, clutching the paper wrapped gift as if it were the most precious thing in the world.

And everything melted away.

In all the Universe, there was only her now. Her large crimson eyes, her wide brilliant smile, cheeks pink like those ridiculous pastries she liked to eat.

"Hordak, is this...?"

He swallowed hard, nodding.  
"January 24th," he murmured, looking down at the violet crystal in his chest piece, "this day marks yet another year you have survived this miserable planet. That is... worth celebrating."

Above him, Imp snickered and Hordak had to resist the urge to throw a sheet of metal at him. Instead, he turned back to his work, focusing on the project at hand. Behind, he heard paper tearing, and a gasp.

"I, er... I noticed that you occasionally misplace yours and thought perhaps you might appreciate an extra recorder to-"

She encircled her arms around his middle from behind. Her arms, not her hair, he noted. More personal. Intimate.

"Thank you, Hordak."

Glancing sideways, he caught the reflection of them in the glass of a vitrine. Her, grinning, arms holding him close, moisture clinging to her lashes. And him, ears dropped with a bright red stain across his sharp cheekbones, frozen.

Time seemed to stand still. A moment, perfect and endless. And then Hordak smiled and the spell was broken. She released him, lowered her mask and turned away.

They both got back to work without another word spoken. Professional, distant. But every so often, she would raise her new recorder, run her fingers along the buttons, smile behind her mask.

And Hordak finally understood this silly Etherian tradition.

"August 28th," he murmured, waiting for her to give him her full attention to continue, "at least by my calculations. Etherian dates are strange and time is catalogued differently everywhere, but I believe it was August 28th that i was... 'born', for lack of better word."

Entrapta lifted her mask, grinning.

"Then on August 28th, we'll celebrate too!" She laughed, "You'll have survived another year on this miserable planet, after all."

Despite his best efforts, despite his insistence that she was simply his lab partner, he laughed.

"Very well," he relented, "for now... what is it that you Etherians say? Ah. Yes."  
He turned to look at her once more, smiling as he had done so many times in her presence.  
"Happy birthday, Entrapta."


End file.
